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Dick Cheney on his Star Wars nickname

September 4, 2011 - Andrea Johnson

Who'd a thunk it? Former Vice President Dick Cheney LIKES being called "Darth Cheney."

Cheney, promoting his new memoir "In My Time," on a talk radio show, told host Laura Ingraham last week that "I love the music and Star Wars reference. I was honored to be compared to Darth Vader."

Ingraham said she always had a soft spot for the Star Wars villain and thought he was the most interesting person in the six part movie series. That's probably true. I always thought Luke Skywalker was kind of whiny, especially when he wailed "NOOOOO!" after he heard Darth Vader say "Luke, I am your father." What a baby. On the other hand, Luke was the hero and the former Anakin Skywalker did a lot of the bad stuff in the series, like wiping out planets and torturing people and such. Personally, Han Solo was always my favorite and my very first movie crush.

There are photoshopped photos of Cheney all over the Internet wearing the classic Darth Vader helmet, mainly in reference to Cheney's defense of waterboarding. "Darth Cheney" has been his nickname for years.

David Letterman has a torture chamber gag whenever Cheney's name is mentioned, with ominous music and the sound of screams coming from a dungeon, because of the same thing.

Judging by the interviews he's given this week and the reviews of his book, Cheney still stands by everything he did and said during the Bush administration and thinks it was necessary to keep the country safe.

I don't know that I'll get around to reading his book, at least not until it's in paperback, on sale at the used book store, but I do think he shows a sense of humor by owning the "Darth Cheney" nickname. Given all the health problems he's had in recent years, I hope he is able to stay healthy and will continue to provide fodder for Letterman and talk show hosts everywhere.